For most West Highland White Terrier owners, the dog is a beloved member of the family. Like your children, you will want to capture pictures of your Westies from the time they are puppies until they are old-timers. Getting good pictures of Westies may require a bit of special preparation and know-how, but even the amateur photographer can get good ones at home.

Camera Angle

A common mistake amateurs make when taking pictures of their Westies is to shoot from a standing position, with the dog on the ground. Although you might get a good picture (teeth showing) or two this way, the best are shot from your Westie's level - low down, on the floor. Alternatively, for a posed picture, you can raise your dog up on a table or chair. The aim is to capture your West Highland White Terrier from his perspective on life.

Sitting Still

Pictures do not have to be hit or miss, with the dog owner struggling to get perfect candid shots. Dogs can be trained, and posed pictures can be taken if you prepare yourself and your pet. It is best to start when West Highland White Terriers are puppies, getting them used to the equipment and the picture-taking process.

A simple strategy is to take pics of the dog while he is in his bed. Try placing the bed near a window for natural light. Reward your pet with small treats when he remains still, and he will quickly learn this behavior.

It helps to know your dog and his routine. Try to take your images at times when your Westie is neither tired-out nor frisky. Capture their attention, to pose the head in the direction you want, with interesting sounds, food, or a toy.

Lighting

There are two main lighting issues when taking pictures. The first is the camera flash. Like with humans, the bright lights reflecting off the Westie's eyes produces a blurry, red-eye effect.

If the flash can be removed from the camera, set it off to one side, where it will not shine directly into the eye. Natural light is the best solution, as it is with many picture-taking problems, but for indoor pics, increasing the room lighting will cause the dogs pupils to constrict, making red-eye a lot less likely.

The second issue is the color of West Highland white terrier fur. The solid white reflects all the light back at the camera, often causing the picture to be overexposed. If you have the camera and expertise to do it, close down the aperture on your camera one f-stop.

Dark-colored dogs, like Scottish Terriers, have the opposite problem, with the fur absorbing all light until the detail is lost. The solution there is also the opposite - open up the aperture one f-stop.

(Disclaimer: Any information contained in this site relating to various medical, health and fitness conditions of Westies or other animals and their treatments is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing the health of any animal. You should always consult and check with your own vet or veterinarian.)

I do hope that you have found the article of use to you.

Jeff Cuckson

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